Americans turn down payday

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Wentworth: The refusal by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to
compete in the World Match Play Championship has drawn an angry
outburst from their fellow professionals. Despite the tournament
offering the biggest official prize in golf - £1 million
($2.36m) - only one of the world's top 10 ranked players is in the
field: Retief Goosen.

For the first time since the World Match Play began in 1964, not
a single American is in the field. Woods, Mickelson, Jim Furyk and
Chris DiMarco have all refused to compete.

South African defending champion Ernie Els has been forced to
withdraw because of a season-ending knee injury.

US Open champion Michael Campbell has no doubt that the refusal
by the Americans to play this week is bad for golf. "To the public
eye it doesn't look good," Campbell said. "It's a slap in the face
to the sponsors. It leaves a very bad taste in your mouth."

Scotland's Colin Montgomerie claims the millions of dollars up
for grabs on the US PGA Tour is threatening the success of
tournaments around the world.

"I think the world revolves around the almighty dollar,"
Montgomerie said. "The American tour, I believe, is a victim of its
own success in many ways. You put up a last place of over
$US100,000 [$129,700] and it doesn't seem to be enough to attract
the top Americans. I don't know what else one has to do."

Sponsor HSBC is offering the biggest prize fund in golf plus a
free house, with a chef thrown in, on the luxury Wentworth
estate.